The Oyo State Governor, Mr. Seyi Makinde, on Sunday day
raised the alarm of people whom he said were seeking to divide the people of
the state through religious sentiments, urging them to find other jobs to do as the people of
the state cannot be divided along
religious lines.
Makinde, while addressing the congregation at the
St Paul Anglican Church in Yemetu, Ibadan, the state capital, during the 80th
thanksgiving service for his mother, Mrs. Abigael Omojolagbe Makinde, said the
state is too interconnected to be divided along religious lines.
Also, a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr.
Taiwo Adisa, quoted the governor as saying that some religious activists who
are seeking to divide the people along religious lines would not succeed
because, every home in the state has a full complement of both religions
(Christianity and Islam), noting that
the nature of families in the state was such that adherents of different
religions, especially Islam and Christianity, co-habit in the same family.
He stated that religion cannot therefore be
exploited as a weapon to divide the people and cause disaffection and disunity
in the state.
Makinde added that though it had become clear that
some people “do not want the state government to succeed,” he was appreciative
to God and the people for their continued support, promising that his
government would continue to serve the state.
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According to him, “I want to greet the Aare
Musulumi of Yorubaland, Edo and Delta States, Alhaji Dawud Akinola, because he
is here with us today. What this means is that those who are seeking to use
religion to divide us should look for another job.
“As a government, we will do what is right. There
is no family in this state that doesn’t have a Muslim or Christian, so the
issues of religion cannot divide us in Oyo State.”
Makinde also indicated that some saboteurs were
striving to stall the efforts of his government to develop the state, adding,
however, that his administration was determined to make the difference.
"Once
again, I thank the good people of Oyo State for your unalloyed support for this
administration. Some people don’t want this government to succeed. Take for
example, on my way here, I realised that some people intentionally dumped their
refuse on the median. I know that it is not the people of this area that
generated those wastes. Some people took it as their assignment to drop those wastes
there knowing that I will go through that road today to this place today, but
we thank God for His usual support. We will continue to serve the people of
this state,” he said.
The governor also declared that his government has
declared free and qualitative education in the state, which he said has come to
stay in the state, noting that “when we were praying, someone said she has seen
Mama Seyi (Governor’s mother) and that she too wants to give birth to a governor.
“For the first 13 years of my life, where we lived
was not more than five minutes to where we are now. My mum was a Telephone
Operator in the state secretariat. At Adeoyo State Hospital, my brother, Muyiwa,
and I used to help her sell bread by the gate of the hospital.
“What can propel a child who used to live some five
minutes away from here (Yemetu) to become a governor of Oyo State is education,
and that is why we have declared that free and qualitative education has come
to stay in the state.”
He charged parents and guardians to educate their
wards, as according to him, education is what can make a difference in the life
of a human being.
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